Need some of our techies input ....again ...please... - Family ...

Its been some time since i got into the whole RAID issue on drives and i was reading up again on them.

Reason being each time something like the east coast disaster hits i think of the whole issue of backups and storage of digital files.

I am on the edge of deciding to go completely paperless and so lots more data but also about to have loads of old 8mm and hi 8 video tapes converted to digital files. Thats very important family data to me.

With the new TV being smart and having the ability to retrieve from Network storage I am back into research and decision making for storage and backup.

Sorry for posting this here on our woodworking forum but i trust the guys that are techies here more than anyone i know so i am hoping/wishing for some practical common sense input to my questions.

1) Whats your view of online storage ie paid for automatic back ups. Issues that concern me here are privacy and ownership. So i been thinking windows 8 now comes out with bitlocker as encryption do you feel adding encryption to online storage in the cloud would provide a comprehensive solution.

Are you aware if this can be incorporated into the autobackup so as not to require one to have to first encrypt and then backup. Dont need instructions on how to do it at this moment just would like to know if its possible if you have experienced it.

Do you have any preference for an online back up provider....ie Carbonite etc. Terms and conditions i have read basically exonerate them from any responsibility just like a software manufacturers warranty, take it or leave it kind of deal.

Do have a preference for any specific backupsoftware you have found to be a) easy to run and b) works properly as in proves to have backed up the file when you found you needed it.

I am all for buying dedicated supported software so not looking for freebies.

2) If you were looking to put a NAS in place what level of Raid would you go for? and then my question is some of these units have place to cater for a separate stand alone backup drive.

Issue here is if one puts a fair size multi drive raid x storage in place what theheck does one use for stand alone backup storage???/ another NAS?

Thing i am trying to address as comprehensively as possible is to have as economical and practical a solution to not having to worry about data storage and security once and for at least 5 more years.

In disaster times we say we are all happy people have survived which is true but some of our possesions are irreplaceable and even some of those that are replaceable can only be done if one gets reimbursed fully.

I am thinking here of software that i dont use frequently yet were i wiped out i would not purchase again unless i was fully remibursed which gets to be a sticky point with insurance companies. Even then there is the matter in a case like that where one would prioritise your replacements.

Then there is the aspect that once you go paperless you had better be able to get to the digital file to prove a whole bunch of things in the event of disaster.

Anyone had any good bad experiences with compression of data and any specific software that you can recommend for the job. Not sure how viable compression is on something like video that already has been compressed to a specific format.

3) Anyone have suggestion for a decent solution to proper backups. Looking at Raid configs and the enormous drives we have today, i dont see the cost of drives being prohibitive so hot swappable setup seems to be in order for a local solution but online that same size of space could run big dollars.

4) I am also very weary of putting my faith in an online tech company that may or may not be around and may or may not have some gov tell it what to do with my access someday. Kind of dammed if i do dammed if i dont scenario.

This may seem a bit extreme but have been through some hoops and jumps with financial institutions recently dealing with what is categorized as info required on a global scale for prevention of money laundering and the onus of proof of ownership and identity is very much your baby to access your own property/accounts. So letting go of bits of paper that may not be respected in digital form later scares me quiet a bit.

I aint looked into it yet.....but most of the service suppliers as in cable, utilities etc are pushing everything here to online for sending invoices etc to a person. If you want a paper copy they now add $2 to the bill.

So its fine and dandy when all goes well but when that digital side fails you high and dry on the proof side. Any thoughts here.

The value of loss or discrepancy is small if one looks at an altercation with a large corporation on a single bill and the likelyhood of multiple entities having an issue at the same time is extremely small.

But i am also considering aspects such as hacking. We end up trusting all sorts in the online world with various bits of our life and data yet hacking and identity theft are very real issues.

Question becomes where does one draw the line. No ways a small business can afford the security places like an institution of any kind can put in place.

Whole issue becomes goverened by fear and i hate fear as a motivator. Just look at what it cost us all in the last cold war.

5) I notice than several suppliers of hardware have entered the realm of having some software involved in making their device work online. That is they may have a server doing some part of the functionality. Thats fine as long as they around all the time and they maintain the appropriate level of security.

Far too much of this stuff is simpy working on overwhelming people with issues to the point where they simply surrender on all fronts and go along with the herd regardless of the consequence down the road.

Sorry but i aint like that. Hence my attempt...dont say i will succeed but i rather go down trying that just follow the herd over the cliff.

My boy scouts training has served me well repeatedly in numerous situations and i aint about to abandon the motto of "be prepared".

To those that get this far in my diatribe i appreciate you reading it and would appreciate even more your input to the extent that you can offer a suggestion or two.

I have had to admit that i am not up to doing my own code for anything anymore. Way too much water has passed under my bridge. So i need to buy off the shelf customizable solutions and make use of what is on offer.

Thanks

Sorry last question

Do any of you or have any of you resorted to carrying around a backup of your most critical data yet? Not thinking of something the size of large memory sticks but more like a robust harddrive.

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?28855-Need-some-of-our-techies-input-again-please

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